The Adventures of Avery One-Eye
by KrnYong
Summary: Another "Girl falls into M.E." story, but with realism. Avery Petersen is an ordinary girl who happens to go through a wormhole and ends up in the Old Forest near the Shire. She's blind in one eye, doesn't speak the language, and isn't athletic, but she thirsts for adventure. Will she be able to survive Middle-Earth with faulty depth perception and no muscle to speak of? R&R please
1. Go Towards the Light

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit; the world of the Hobbit and all its characters are J.R.R. Tolkien's original ideas. Besides, if I owned the Hobbit I'd be a lot richer than I am now. :P

* * *

"One theory is that there could be multiple universes all parallel to each other, all connected by wormholes..." The Discovery Channel droned about parallel universes and wormholes as I munched on a Nutella sandwich, barely listening. It was a very hot day and now that summer break was here I was doing my best to be as lazy as possible.

Just as I went to change the channel, my mom burst into the living room and turned the T.V. off. "You've been doing nothing but sitting on the couch all day!" My health-conscious mother snatched the remote away and began to lecture me about the importance of exercise and how obesity rates were rising.

I groaned and curled into a ball, "Mom, I'm eighteen now and I'm going to college in two months, this is my time to do what I want!"

"Move your butt I! You don't want to get your freshman fifteen before you even get to school, do you?"

Finally giving up, I shoved the rest of the sandwich in my mouth and went to my room to get out of my PJs. Looking into the mirror as I brushed my hair, I contemplated my reflection.

I was on the short side, around 5'4", with short dark brown hair and a hazel eye. My left eye, in stark contrast to the right, was completely clouded over with a cataract from a terrible tree-climbing accident I had when I was 7 years old. Having one completely blind eye made it hard for me to judge distances, but I'd somewhat gotten used to it. Picking up an eye patch from my dresser, I put it on and took a satchel with me as well.

Before I left the house, I remembered to put a water bottle, two oranges, and a ham sandwich into the satchel.

"I'm going jogging in the woods, mom!" I called out. My mom waved goodbye from the couch, not looking up from an episode of _Say Yes to the Dress. _

There was a small creek near my house that flowed into a small forested area. The trees were relatively short and weren't very deep, but I made sure to keep on the trail as I lumbered along on a slow jog; after about half an hour I was out of breath and ready to go back home. As I turned around to give up on exercise for that summer, something in the trees caught my eye.

Walking off the trail, I gasped as I saw a very strange hole that seemed to be embedded in the bark of a reedy oak. It looked like it was sucking in the very air around it, and the debris blowing in the wind was being channeled into the hole as well. Curious, I moved forwards to take a better look. I'd meant only to step a little closer, but a tree root on my blind side tripped me and sent me careening towards the odd hole. The hole briefly opened wider to let me in, and then all I saw was blackness.

My eye opened. Looking around tentatively, I could see that I was still in a forest. Unlike the woods near my house, however, this one was obviously an old-growth forest; the entire place was dark and the trees were absolutely humongous. After the tree-climbing accident that had left me blinded in one eye I had no love for very tall trees, so I kept my gaze on the ground to look for a path. There was none.

_Don't freak out, don't freak out!_

I took deep, calming breaths as I realized I was completely lost. There were no thick old-growth forests where I lived; my neighborhood was in a mostly suburban area. That meant that either the hole had somehow teleported me to another part of the U.S., or...

_Wait a minute..._

The Discovery Channel program that I'd been watching flashed into my mind. It had been about parallel universes and-

_Wormholes._

"NO!" I shook my head vigorously. Was I honestly thinking that I'd gotten sucked through a wormhole and into another universe? Looking around, I forced myself not to cry in utter frustration and fear. What other explanation was there for this, then?

Deciding to think about that later, I took stock of what I _did _know. I was lost in a huge forest that was God knows how far from my house, and I only had half a water bottle and an orange left. (I'd eaten the sandwich and second orange for lunch already.) Turning my entire body to look around 360 degrees, I noticed something that made me somewhat hopeful: part of the forest to my left was lighter, and the trees were slightly thinner than the rest of the forest.

_That could mean I'm on the edge of the forest, and that's the place where it's thinning._

With a determined stride, I began to walk leftwards.

* * *

A/N: I will update about every other week and the other chapters will be longer than this. Please review; hope you enjoyed. :D


	2. The Open Door

A/N: I'm updating a little early this time. I don't know how long I can keep this up, but I've been having a bit of a writing spree. We shall see... This chapter was hard to write. I couldn't figure out whether or not hobbits would live so close to the Water or not, and I was having a hard time finding any definitive signs of where exactly their homes were along the Brandywine/the Water, so please forgive any mistakes and feel free to correct me.

* * *

I walked for two days. It probably would have taken a more physically fit person half that time but I was obviously sub-par in terms of health, so I considered myself lucky to even have made it to the end of the forest after eating only an orange and half a bottle of water. When I saw the sun at last in between the rapidly thinning trees, I cried out and began to run. After about two minutes I was tired again, but the exuberant feeling in my heart did not fade.

About another half a day into my walking, I reached a river. It was not an overly wide river but, with my sub par athletic skills and the fact that I had not eaten in quite a while, I was slightly wary to swim across it. Seeing that I had no choice otherwise, I stretched and then stripped off my windbreaker, jeans, eye patch, and t-shirt and tucked it into my satchel. Luckily, the bag was originally my outdoorsy mom's so it was waterproof. Unluckily, the zipper wouldn't be watertight for very long so I'd have to swim quickly if I didn't want my clothes to be soaked.

Taking a deep breath, I jumped in.

"Woah!" I sputtered as I hit the river. The water was not cold, but it was very murky, and the muddy current went up my nose and into my mouth as I began to swim. Spitting the silty water out as I frog-kicked my way to the other shore, I felt my satchel begin to fill with water.

_Damn it!_

Cursing in my head, I began to swim a little faster. By the time I made it to the other side, my clothes were all very damp. I put them on anyways, and looked up. From the angle of the sun, I guessed that it must be about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and the warm rays slowly began to dry my off.

_Now where do I go?_

A few hundred yards away, I could make out a glimmering stream heading off from the main river. Figuring that the stream might lead to civilization, I began to follow it.

Days of walking, and then I saw the first house.

It was rather small, and looked to be built right into the ground, like some kind of burrow. It was nice-looking, though, and I was willing to take what I could get.

"Hello?" My voice rasped a bit from thirst, and I cleared my throat to speak up. I rapped on the door a few times and said again, "Hello? Excuse me, is anyone home?"

I walked a little ways away from the burrow and called out, "Is anyone here?"

There was a clatter from my left. Turning my head to see what had made the noise I saw that it was a very small woman about the height of a child. The woman had dropped a bucket, and was staring at me open-mouthed and wide-eyed.

Smiling, I tried to seem friendly. I'd obviously startled the poor lady, so I might as well be polite. "I'm sorry if I surprised you there, I just wanted to ask if you could help me-"

The woman's eyes opened even wider, if that was possible. She gave a little shriek and then turned tail, heading for the door of the house.

"Wait!" I tried to stop her, but the woman was too fast. She reached the door and slipped in as swift as a rabbit. The door slammed shut, and there was an audible sound of it being locked.

"Please!" My voice began to waver as I knocked on the door urgently. "I just want some help!"

I waited there for an hour or so before I gave up. The lady was obviously terrified of me for some reason, and wouldn't open the door any time soon. Trying to lift my spirits, I walked back towards the stream and caught a glimpse of my reflection.

_Dear Lord!_

My hair looked like a pigeon had been nesting in it. My clothes, barely dry, were brown from the water and my entire body was grimy and dirty. My general appearance was haggard, and the eye patch didn't really help either. I could sort of understand why the woman had been so startled, but still thought she'd been overreacting.

With a sigh, I followed the stream again. The little house I had seen made me realize that I'd been right about following the water to civilization, so I tried to be optimistic even as my stomach growled in consternation.

* * *

More walking, and walking, and walking; even after taking periodic 20 minute breaks, I was getting very-_very- _tired. The sun was just starting to go down, and soon it would be twilight.

Civilization had been found, but unfortunately no one seemed willing to help me. I was in a strange village where everyone seemed to be no taller than 3 and a half feet, and from what I could hear of their speech, they spoke no language that I had ever heard in my life.

I tried to force back tears, but failed as a few squeezed themselves out and left streaks on my dirty face. Houses all buried under hills and into the very earth itself dotted the landscape. There were paths and little picket fences and gardens and flowers, but the quaint village did nothing to raise my spirits. What was the use of finding people if they wouldn't even help me? And what was the point of asking for help if they couldn't understand what I said?

Wiping the tears away, I sat down near a tree and contemplated what to do. I'd tried knocking on doors, sneaking up on people (which didn't really work, the little people here had very good ears), and even begging for aid. Maybe it was time to move on and find help elsewhere? I shook my head; if I left this village who knew where I'd end up next, or if I'd even end up anywhere before I died in the wilderness?

Just as I sighed and made to take a nap I saw something, or rather, someone interesting. There was a stout, stocky man trudging his way over to one of the burrow-houses. He was short, yes, but taller than most of the other little people I'd seen, and something about him felt different. For starters, he was wearing armor. In the dusky light I could see the flash of metal- _Oh my- what the hell, is that a sword?!_

It _was _a sword! He was also wearing fur and had thick dark facial hair, which I hadn't seen on any of the other inhabitants here yet.

I watched as the strange man lifted his fist and knocked on the green door.

_Yeah, good luck buddy, the people here don't take kindly to strangers. _I expected him to be turned away, or to be looked at with suspicion as I had been. I expected a little person to open the door, gasp in shock, and then close it in a hurry, just like what had happened to me countless times today.

What I expected to happen did not happen.

A tall, gray man opened the door. He was so tall he was practically bent over in half to fit in the house, and he had a long gray beard and was dressed pretty much entirely in gray. He was also wearing a pointy hat.

Instead of trying to get rid of the shorter man, the old gray one ushered him in with a welcoming tone of voice.

_What. _I felt a strange twinge of jealousy. _He gets to be invited in all nicely while I have to sit out here in the dark?!_

Frustration, annoyance, anxiety, and hopelessness filled me. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists and resolutely decided that I was not going to die in this weirdo little village after walking though a forest, swimming a river, and getting countless doors slammed in my face. The only _good_ thing about this whole adventure was that I'd lost some weight from all the starving and walking. My pants were getting loose, and I could practically feel my stomach sticking to my spine.

_I'm going to knock on that door, dammit, and I am _not_ going to take no for an answer this time!_

With a steely determination, I walked over to the innocent round door and pounded the hell out of it with my sore knuckles. I could hear the rowdy conversations behind the door cease. A deep voice rumbled out in an interrogative manner, but I didn't know if it was addressing me or someone else so I kept quiet.

After about half a minute, the door swung open and, sweet mercy, it didn't get slammed in my face this time.

* * *

Hope you liked it :D Please don't forget to review!


	3. Going Commando

A/N: I realize that Bilbo's name is actually 'Bilba Labingi' in Westron, but I don't want to confuse anyone so I'm just going to stick with the translated name of Bilbo Baggins. Similarly, all people names will be in the English translated versions.

* * *

Gobbledygook. At least, that's what it sounded like. Instead of the old man that had opened the door previously, it was a curly-haired little person that answered. I kept my hand surreptitiously on the door's surface to ensure it wouldn't suddenly be closed on me.

The petite man, who looked extremely stressed for some reason, was trying to communicate with me. He waved his hands around and looked annoyed, and his voice sounded a little panicky.

"I know you're trying to say something, but _I don't understand you._" In typical American fashion, I spoke the last few words very slowly and clearly, as if that would somehow break the language barrier. _"Je parle l'anglais, comprenez-vous?"_ I tried French (the only other language I knew) to see if he'd understand, but he just looked even more confused and waved his hands to try and get me out of the doorway. For some reason, he kept looking over his shoulder and griping at the gray old man every now and then.

"Excuse me, do _you _speak English?" I looked around the rather crowded room at the- for lack of better word- dwarves around me. They all raised their eyebrows and spoke amongst themselves, but it was obvious they didn't understand.

"_Someone!_" I banged my head against the doorjamb with great force, trying to wake myself up from this terrible dream. It _had_ to be a dream, right? "Someone please say I'm not crazy!"

The whispers and murmurings became more urgent, and a few of the dwarves cried out and tried to stop me from further hurting myself. Suddenly, the old man reached forward with a gentle smile on his face. He was obviously trying not to frighten me, and he spoke with a low tone like the way someone would speak to a wild horse or a cornered animal. He stretched out his fingers and softly laid his hand on my forehead.

A very odd feeling passed over me. His hand was cool and comforting, and I instantly felt better. Not over-the-hills happy or anything but I definitely felt less like jumping off the nearest cliff or banging my head on the door again.

_"My name is Gandalf the Grey."_

I almost passed out right then and there. I was hearing voices in my head! I _was _going crazy! I slapped myself a few times, but the old man grabbed my wrist with a worried look on his face.

_"You are not going mad; this is my voice you are hearing."_

My mouth flapped open and shut like a fish; a really dumb, one-eyed, probably insane fish.

"Gandalf?" I pointed at him, and the congregation of dwarves gasped. "How can I hear you?" I asked, but he shook his head and gestured to my forehead.

_"I cannot understand you when you speak aloud; you must think what you are trying to say."_

I nodded, and pointed inside the house. _"Uh... Can I come in, please?"_

He smiled and stood aside for me to enter. The little man who'd answered the door looked miffed and sputtered a bit, but thankfully didn't protest any further than that. I politely closed the door behind me, and turned to face Gandalf again. He returned his hand to my forehead.

_"Why are you here, child?"_

_"I was lost. I... Don't know where I am at all! I was in a forest near my house, and then there was this hole..." _I told him the entire story up till my knocking on the door.

Gandalf looked pensive, and stroked his beard a bit before thinking, _"And you say that this... hole... it sucked you into the Old Forest?"_

_"Uh..."_ I shrugged, _"It sucked me into _a _forest, don't really know if it was the Old Forest or not... Sorry I can't be very specific. Honestly, I think this might be a parallel universe or something. Please, I just want some help in finding my way back home."_

Gandalf gave me a strange look, but didn't argue. He sighed, _"This is a very inopportune moment for you to have arrived... You see, we are about to embark on an adventure."_

I was immediately interested, but kept my thoughts from going off the wazoo. _"An adventure?"_

He nodded. _"I cannot leave you here alone... But then again, I cannot, in good conscience, take you with us."_

I made a "go on" motion with my hand. _"What do you mean, 'In good conscience'?"_

_"Our quest is perilous; there will be many dangers... We may have to face orcs, goblins, trolls, and even a dragon. The road itself may be difficult to travel on as well, especially for a young woman such as you."_

"A dragon!" I exclaimed out loud, trying not to focus on his somewhat sexist remark, "Of course, it wouldn't be a proper adventure without a dragon."

Gandalf raised his eyebrows, and I repeated what I'd said in my mind. He was, to say the least, kind of surprised with my reaction.

_"PLEASE,"_ I rubbed my hands together plaintively, _"I'm begging you, please don't leave me here. I need some way to find a wormhole or a portal or something to get back home, and it would be really really nice if you took me with you."_

I clasped my hands together and looked Gandalf square in the eyes. Well, actually at the bridge of his nose between his eyes, but when you only have one functioning eye that's as good as it gets.

"Hmmmm..." Gandalf took his hand away from my head and produced a pipe from his robes. I didn't need thought-speak to know what that meant: he was pretty much deciding my fate.

Meanwhile, the group of dwarves decided it was safe to come up to me; the first two to greet me looked to be young compared to the others. One was sort of blondish with a braided beard and the other was dark-haired and had hardly any beard at all.

"Fili," the blond dwarf gestured to himself as he spoke, and bowed.

"Kili," the dark-haired dwarf bowed as well.

The remaining dwarves all spoke their names in succession, bowing as they did.

"Nori."

"Ori."

"Bifur."

"Gloin."

"Dwalin."

"Oin."

"Bombur."

"Balin."

"Dori."

"Bofur."

"Thorin," the last one added on something after his name, but I couldn't tell if it was his surname or just a greeting so I just smiled and nodded.

I waved and said a hello for each one, but my head spun as I realized there was no way in hell I was going to remember all of these names. Pointing to myself, I did a little bow and replied, "Avery Petersen."

"Avery Petersen?" One of the dwarves who wore a funny hat repeated my name and then said something in response.

"Just Avery," I waved my hand dismissively, "No reason to call me by my first name all the time."

This just confused them even more until Gandalf stepped in. He did the thought-speak thing again and explained to the dwarves that Petersen was a family name. They all nodded and made "ah" sounds in understanding, and then the stressed man in the corner came forwards and said in a tired voice, "Bilbo Baggins."

Gandalf turned to Bilbo (who was wringing his hands by now) and suggested that I probably needed a bath and some new clothes. Bilbo looked rather aghast at this suggestion, but then I guess his good manners got the better of him and he nodded in agreement.

_"Oh, you don't have to go through any trouble on my account..." _I tried to protest out of politeness, but only half-heartedly. I hadn't bathed suitably for days, I smelled like river water, sweat, and mud, my hair was so oily it was practically self-cleaning itself, and my clothes were caked with dry mud and filth.

Gandalf translated for me, and Bilbo shook his head and said something reassuring.

_"He says it is no trouble at all, but that you'll have to bathe in cold water if you want to wash right now."_

I nodded vigorously, _"Oh yes please, I've been dunking myself in the river for the past few days so any clean water would be fine."_

Gandalf smiled and gently pushed me towards Bilbo, who waved his hand to show that I was to follow him.

I obliged, and followed him into the back of the house, where there was a bedroom that contained a large (for the little people) tub. Bilbo made a 'stay here' motion at me, pointing at the floor, and then left quickly. He came back with two buckets full with water. I guessed he'd gone out to a well or something to get it, and so I immediately went to help. We dumped in about eight bucketfuls before the tub was finally full enough, and then Bilbo left and came back with a dress that was too small for me.

It would only reach up to my knees, I could tell, and I just knew it'd be a bit tight around the waist and chest, but I was still grateful. After realizing the dress might be way too short, Bilbo also dug into a wardrobe and took out a pair of leggings that might fit me. He gave me a chunk of soap and a piece of cloth that I guessed was a towel, and I thanked him profusely afterwards.

After he left, I hesitantly got into the cold water. The tub was a bit small for me but luckily I wasn't a very big person to begin with so I was able to fit inside, albeit not comfortably. Inspecting the soap, I realized it was some kind of animal fat and wood ash mixture, like something from the Middle Ages. It was coarse and didn't lather very well but I did my best and, shivering, I managed to get myself clean.

After drying myself off, I realized that I had a dilemma: I had no extra underwear! The undergarments I'd been wearing for the past week were, to say the least, irredeemable, and yet I didn't know if I was comfortable walking around with nothing underneath my clothes.

I took another glance at my dirty underwear and decided that I'd just have to suck it up and go commando for a while. The dress was, as I'd predicted, really tight around the upper torso, but it also had some extra padding on the chest area so I felt a little better about not having a bra. The hemline stopped just under my kneecaps, so I put on the wool leggings, which were nice and warm. Finally, I finger-combed my hair until it was tangle-free.

Feeling a hundred times better than before, I collected my dirty clothes and put them back into my satchel. I got out of the room and made my way back to the foyer where the dwarves and Gandalf had been. I found them instead in the dining area, where Bilbo was pacing and reading a long manuscript of some sort. He occasionally exchanged words with the dwarves, until the one in the hat, Bofur, I remembered, got up and said something in a cheery tone. Bilbo stood there kind of uneasily and then promptly fainted.

* * *

A/N: I might just change my schedule to updating every week... If I don't have anything urgent like studying to do. So if I have time, I'll be updating every week and if I'm busy it'll be every other week. :D Please review, and stay tuned for next week!


	4. Misty Mountains Cold

A/N: This chapter's pretty short, sorry. Don't forget to review!

* * *

Seeing as everyone else was either snickering at Bilbo or just sitting around, I rushed over and tried to help. With my (not) considerable strength, I managed to lift him up marginally. I guess my clothes weren't exactly modest, because a few of the dwarves looked scandalized and did that awkward 'averting of the eyes' thing, but I ignored it in favor of getting Bilbo off the floor.

"Damn, for a little guy you sure are heavy," I huffed and puffed as I tried to move him, and finally the dwarves decided it wasn't nice to make me do all the work and decided to help out a little. Dwalin and who I vaguely remembered to be either Dori or Nori shooed me away and picked up Bilbo by the underarms and feet. They carried him to a comfy-looking sofa nearby the fireplace and set him down. The rest of the dwarves kind of milled around looking for food, which got me to thinking about my own painfully empty stomach.

"Gandalf," I went up to the old man to get his attention, and pointed at my stomach, "I'm hungry." I mimed eating and rubbed my stomach again for good measure. He seemed to understand, and took me over to the dining area again. He took out a few loaves of bread and a small piece of ham.

_"I'm sorry for not having anything more to give you, but you must understand we didn't think we'd have another guest to feed."_ Gandalf apologized.

I shook my head and pointed in poor Bilbo's general direction. _"I'm fine, you should probably go take care of Bilbo; he might need smelling salts or something." _I meant the smelling salts comment as a joke, but Gandalf obviously didn't get it. _"It's a thing that wakes you up after you faint... You know what, never mind."_

Gandalf went to talk to the dwarves, mostly the charismatic-looking one with a gray streak in his hair (whose name I couldn't remember at the time). Furtively, I watched them speaking as I chewed on the yeasty bread. They looked at Bilbo every now and then, and murmured under their breaths like they were having a little disagreement. I washed the ham down with something that tasted suspiciously like beer and after washing the dishes, went over to the sitting room and awkwardly stood in a corner.

Gandalf finished his conversation with the dwarf, and re-lit his pipe as he stood near the fireplace. The dwarf- _Thorin, that's his name_- nodded to Gandalf and then went over to talk to someone else. Bilbo began to stir, and Gandalf reached over to me and thought-spoke, _"Would you be so kind as to get Bilbo a cup of something strong? There ought to be a bit of mead left in the bottle on the table." _

I agreed and poured a bit of the alcohol into a cup and brought it over to Gandalf, who handed it to the dazed Bilbo. Bilbo gratefully accepted the cup, but did not drink. He looked a bit troubled. Gandalf turned and touched my forehead again, _"Avery, would you leave us for a while, please, I mean to have a talk with Bilbo."_

Not wanting to be rude, I got up and left the room. With nothing else to do, I wandered back to the room where I had bathed and lied down on the bed. After a few minutes, I fell asleep.

By the time I woke up it was still nighttime, and the dwarves had settled down a bit. I could tell because it was much quieter than before; in fact, there was hardly anyone speaking at all.

As I lay in bed (with my feet hanging over the edge), I heard something. It was a deep humming sound, harmonious and quiet yet wonderfully melodic. Getting up, I opened the door to better listen. The dwarves were singing, I realized, they were alternately humming and singing words I did not understand but for some reason chills ran down my arms. I listened until the voices stopped, then went back to sleep with a deep sense of sadness that I could not understand.

* * *

A/N: I was a little busy this week because of midterms, not to mention I had 2 papers due on the same day... But next week is spring break so I should upload another (longer) chapter on Wednesday. Thank you to all the people who favorited and reviewed, I'm very grateful :D


	5. A Decision

A/N: I was actually going to update this on Wednesday, but my internet was out so I'm doing it today! Next week and the week after I have some more midterms and papers, but we'll see how it goes. As always, enjoy and please review :D

* * *

It was before sunrise when I opened my eyes again, but this time it was a knock on the door that made me jerk awake. I momentarily froze in panic- _where was I?_ And then I remembered the events of yesterday and how Bilbo had been kind enough to let me sleep in a spare bedroom.

I quickly finger-combed my hair, put on my eye patch and straightened my clothes out, then opened the door. Gandalf stood there with a staff in hand and the pointy hat on his head once more. He smiled and said what I guessed to be 'good morning', to which I replied, "The sun's not even up yet, what's going on?"

Gandalf reached over to thought-speak, _"I know you are tired, but I needed to speak to you before the company and I left. Do you still wish to come with us on our quest?"_

I nodded, _"Yes, please."_

Gandalf gave me a grave look and sighed, _"I cannot force you to stay here if you are set on going with us, but I do think I should let you know what you are getting into." _He gestured for me to follow him to the dining room, where he took out the paper that Bilbo had been holding yesterday when he fainted.

_"This is a contract. It is meant for the fourteenth member of the company so it is not for you to sign, but you should know the dangers that may be ahead all the same."_

I looked closely at the paper but, as I expected, it was written in a language I couldn't decipher.

_"It says here that dwarves of the company will neither be responsible for your life nor for your death." _Gandalf translated, and his words made my fingers tingle in nervousness. _"It is very likely you can be killed by any manner of beast, man, or creature, or simply from a disease or injury inflicted on the road. Even without these perils, our quest is very dangerous; we mean to sneak into a lost dwarven kingdom that is protected by a fire-breathing dragon, to reclaim it."_

He paused in his speech to gauge my reaction, and I experienced two completely different emotions at once. I felt fear starting in the core of my stomach all the way up to my throat, so my mouth went dry and my heart began to beat faster. At the same time, something in me was excited.

_"Now is the part I did not want to tell you about..."_ Gandalf folded up the contract and turned to face me, looking very serious as he did so, _"We may be able to find you a way home."_

I gasped and was about to say something when Gandalf stopped me with a lifted hand.

_"This is not a guarantee or even a probability, you must understand," _Gandalf looked me in the eye to make sure I was paying attention. I nodded, and he continued, _"On the journey to Erebor- that is the name of the dwarven kingdom- we may be able to meet with the elven lord Elrond. He is very well learned and very wise, and might know something about these wormholes you spoke of. And even if he does not have a way of returning you to your own world, I think it would benefit you to stay in Rivendell where the elves can watch over you. It would be very difficult for you to live in the Shire where the hobbits will be much suspicious of you; not to mention if you stayed here you would be alone with no one to help you adjust."_

_"So..."_ I took a deep breath to get my mind clear, _"You're saying that you don't want me to go 'cause you think I'll probably die, but at the same time you won't stop me if I want to go because I could be better off if I leave with you?"_

Gandalf paused, then nodded, _"Yes, you summed that up quite nicely."_

I sighed and rubbed my face. _"I..."_ I trailed off, and then started up again, _"Gandalf, how long do I have to decide?"_

He thought for a second. _"The dwarves leave at the first light of dawn. You have until then to come to a decision."_

I nodded, but then asked, _"Uh... how long is that exactly?"_

Gandalf laughed. _"About an hour," _The smile faded and he looked serious again, _"Think on this thoroughly, your choice must be one that you will not regret."_

_"I know," _I grabbed his hand in thanks, _"Thank you for telling me all this, I'll have my answer by dawn."_

Gandalf patted my shoulder, then got up and left.

I sat there contemplating.

What was more important? Living, or getting back home?

Thoughts roiled around in my head, colliding and contradicting each other as I tried to decide. If I left, I could face certain death. Yet if I left, I might be able to find my way back to my own universe or at least have a safer life with elves that could help me... But if I stayed here I'd be most certainly safe, with no chance of getting killed by goblins.

But if I stayed, I would always wonder what would have happened if I'd gone on the quest with Gandalf and the dwarves. I'd be left to dream about 'what if's' in a place where people would fear and distrust me, people that spoke a completely different language and hated strangers. I would be truly alone, isolated and helpless.

A crippling fear struck me; just the thought of it scared me to the bones. At that moment, I knew that my choice had already been made because I feared regret more than death and hated loneliness more than any hardship I'd meet on the road.

Also, a strange thought kept niggling at the back of my mind: _Adventure_. I could travel with a group of dwarves and an old mind-reading man on a quest to defeat a dragon, and I could meet elves! This kind of epic journey was one that I had fantasized about as a child after reading books and watching movies of adventure and daring. I realized that this was my once chance in a lifetime. I got up and went to find Gandalf.

When dawn came and the dwarves left, I went with them.


	6. The Blind Side

A/N: Sorry I was a bit late on this one too, I've been so busy it's not even funny. I will probably be late again, so I apologize in advance for that too. As always, read and review please :D

* * *

Just because Gandalf was cool with me going, didn't mean the dwarves were. To be more specific, Thorin was particularly unhappy about me going with them. He and Gandalf had argued about it for half an hour before he grudgingly gave in. Gandalf said that we'd need to make a detour to Bree to get me supplies and there were a few grumbles from some of the other dwarves as well.

The walk to Bree would take three days by foot, Gandalf told me, but I was allowed to borrow what would've been Bilbo's pony for the duration of the travelling. I was grateful, and made it known that I was, but inside I was more than a little anxious about riding, even if it was just a small pony. I could barely even get on, and Gloin and Balin had to help so I could get on without falling on my butt again. Unfortunately, I was made to ride sidesaddle, which made it even harder for me to stay on. I asked Gandalf if I could just sit astride, but he explained that human women rode sidesaddle and it would be seen as strange if I did not.

We were well on our way, with the sun getting higher in the sky, when we heard the shouting. Everyone stopped, and I turned around with much difficulty, seeing as I had no balance on top of a pony whatsoever. Bilbo Baggins, quite out of breath and holding the contract, huffed and puffed over to Balin. They exchanged a few words, Bilbo looking quite pleased with himself while Balin inspected the contract for a signature.

Thorin said something, and Bilbo suddenly looked very flustered, waving his hands and shaking his head. Two of the dwarves, ignoring his protestations, lifted him up and plopped him down on the back of a pony. The expression on his face made me snort involuntarily with laughter.

As we moved on, I ignored the dwarves' bantering and Bilbo's conversation with Gandalf because I couldn't understand anyways, and I was fully focused on staying balanced on the pony. I stared at its shaggy ears and was actually doing quite well when suddenly a little bag full of coins sailed in from my right and was caught by Oin, who was riding in front of me. He gleefully hefted the coins in his hand as more bags were thrown around amongst the group. I watched it all with some amusement and a lot of confusion, especially when one of the coin bags was thrown to Gandalf.

Was this some kind of weird game? I shrugged it off and kept on trying to stay in the saddle with intense concentration.

Suddenly, I heard something on my blind side. Before I could turn my head to see what it was, something touched my shoulder, making me instinctively jerk away. I had only flinched slightly, but my already precarious balance was lost and my butt slipped off of the saddle so I fell heavily to the ground. Dori, who had been behind me, yelled for the others in front to stop and then helped me back up. After I'd gotten back on the pony and embarrassedly assured everyone that I hadn't broken anything, I turned to my head to the left to see who it had been that had startled me.

It was Kili, his expression sheepish as he sat on his pony. He hurriedly explained something, and held up his hands in an apologetic manner. Gandalf trotted over and held his hand to my forehead.

_"Are you alright? Kili says he merely tapped your shoulder to get your attention; what happened?"_

_"Sorry about that, he just surprised me is all." _I gestured at my blind eye, _"I didn't see him, and when he tapped me I flinched a little and lost my balance."_

Gandalf nodded, then told the other dwarves what had happened. Behind him, I heard Thorin scolding Kili, who looked embarrassed.

_"I have told them to warn you when they approach your left side," _Gandalf said.

I thanked him, but added, _"So can I stop sitting sidesaddle now? Just for my own safety," _I made a pleading motion with my hands, and Gandalf sighed and acquiesced.

The company moved on, and Kili said something to me that sounded apologetic. I waved it off, smiling. "It's okay, I know you didn't mean to surprise me."

Fili, Ori, and Bofur came up on my right, obviously interested in hearing a new language. Their curiosity suddenly gave me an idea.

Sitting up a little straighter, I pointed at a tree and said, "Tree." The dwarves looked at me bemused, but did not respond. I tried again, this time pointing at the pony. "Pony." It still didn't work, so I tried a different tactic. I pointed at Fili and named him out loud, then did the same to Kili, Ori, and Bofur. I slapped my hand on my chest and said, "Avery." Then, I pointed at a tree again. "Tree."

A light bulb seemed to go off and Ori did the same, pointing at the tree and naming it, except this time it was in their language. I repeated the word with a big grin on my face. This made the others realize what was going on, and soon they were pointing and naming everything in sight. I learned the words for pony, sky, sun, grass, and then they started going into anatomy, gesturing to their eyes and hair and noses. The influx of information was too much, and I waved my hands to try and get them to slow down, "Wait, wait, wait, hold on, you're all talking at once and I'm not getting _any_ of this!"

Although they didn't understand, I could tell they got the gist of what I'd said and started laughing. Instead of slowing down, they began to speed up, each one separately rattling off words at light speed so I couldn't catch anything.

"Aarg, you guys suck!" I threw my hands up in defeat, but I was laughing. These guys were pretty funny, I decided. Thorin glanced behind him to see what all the ruckus was about and the dwarves around me quieted down a little, snickering as they did. Kili and Fili immediately put on innocent faces and shrugged at Thorin, who gave them a suspicious look and then turned back around.

I pointed at Thorin discreetly and then asked Fili, "Is he you guys's dad or something?"

Fili grinned and shrugged in a way that said, "Dunno what you said so I'm just going to smile at you awkwardly."

I sighed but smiled back. At least he was being friendly. The dwarves, calmer now, decided to start taking my lessons more seriously. They repeated five words for me: pony, sky, tree, hand, and eye, over and over again so I'd remember. With lots of hand gestures and guesswork, we all agreed on teaching me five words every day. Luckily, I was always pretty good at languages so I wasn't a _total_ fish out of water, but I still had to make an effort to drill the words into my memory.

"Avery," I heard Bofur call. I looked over and he pointed at a tree again, but this time he hesitantly said "tree" in English. My eyes widened and I nodded vigorously. The other dwarves repeated the word in English as well, and I felt a new wave of optimism as I realized I could teach them a thing or two in English. This pesky language barrier was going down.


	7. Sore Bottoms and Bruised Egos

A/N: Finally, an update! Haha I told you I wasn't abandoning this. I've been writing and writing like crazy, so hopefully I'll be back to a more regular update schedule. This week will be a double update to make up for the long time between chapters. Enjoy!

* * *

Bree had been terrible. I don't mean to say anything about humans, seeing as I _am _one, but I couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable as I rode my pony through the town. It was awfully smelly, what with all the people and animals in close quarters, there was horse poop _everywhere_ on the street, and a few of the men even leered at me (which was, to say the least, horrifying).

Other than that, it was nice to get some clothes that actually fit me. I got a few dresses, boots, supplies, and a cloak; and I was very thankful to the dwarves and Gandalf who were being very kind to take me along and even buy me new things. Even though I was wearing one of my new dresses that covered all the way to my ankles, I still wore the leggings underneath mostly because I still felt weird about wearing clothes with nothing on underneath.

After Bree we continued on our way, turning onto a different road in the direction of Erebor. Needless to say, after the first day my butt was so sore I thought I'd be stuck in a sitting position forever. I barely managed to get off the poor pony, who I'd named Benjy, on my own. Rubbing my poor bottom, I helped the others set up camp by gathering firewood and whatnot.

One of the dwarves started a fire and then we all just sat around either trying to sleep or talking. I mostly tried to sleep. There is something incredibly lonely in being the only English-speaking girl in a company of men, and it didn't help that none of the others were even human. (I'm not counting Gandalf because I saw him light a pipe with his finger and that's seriously not normal.) I was curled up near the fire, away from everyone else, trying not to feel sorry for myself and failing.

The things that I had tried to put out of my thoughts kept creeping into the sides of my mind: my family, my home, and the fact that I could die at any moment in the company of a bunch of people I hardly knew. I could feel tears begin to prickle at my eyes, and I quickly brushed them away. I couldn't afford to start sobbing now, I didn't want the others to see me as a stupid little girl who cried for no reason. I squeezed my eyes shut as hard as I could, trying to keep the depressing, scary thoughts away, but then the howl of some kind of animal made me start and sit up.

Bilbo, who had been near the ponies, looked scared as well, and I instantly felt some kinship with him. He was obviously as much of a warrior as I was- that is, not at all, and I felt a little better knowing that I wasn't the only useless fighter in the group. Fili and Kili were making fun of Bilbo, I could tell. After explaining something super seriously to him they burst out into laughter at his scared face. Thorin came over and lectured them, I'm guessing about bullying the little guy, and they quieted. Then one of the older dwarves started up talking, and I assumed he was lecturing them too.

The old dwarf's steady voice made me drowsy, and I slowly began to close my eyes. The last thing I saw was the little group looking quite serious and solemn with their eyes on Thorin.

The next day wasn't really any different from the first, but this time there was a lot more rain. I was practically drowning in my own clothes by the time it stopped, and I made sure to wring my dress out the best I could. The only good thing that came from the rain was that I didn't have to take a shower anymore and I learned the words for rain, wet, weather, cloud, and wizard in Westron. I'd learned the name of the language, Westron, which didn't help me at all. I'd hoped that learning something about their culture would help me figure out where I was, but it bewildered me that this land had nothing in common with the place I came from.

We rode our ponies for hours on end, rested for a little bit now and then, and then kept riding until the sun started to set. By the time I got off my pony my legs and butt were so sore I didn't even bother putting down a bedroll before collapsing onto the grass. I was not made for long distance travel, I decided.

As I creakily laid down on my bedroll and looked up at the night sky, I realized that I couldn't recognize any of the constellations. I wasn't a great astronomer or anything, but I could usually find the Big Dipper and the Sirius star at least. With the dark sky lit up in a great expanse of bright white dots, I felt a stab of loneliness in the realization that I might not even be on planet Earth. Sighing, I fell asleep thinking about the stars.

* * *

The next morning was, of course, filled with more travelling, but I did my best to keep up and not complain. My butt and thighs were so sore that I almost cried every time Benjy hit a rough patch on the trail but I bit my tongue to keep from making noise. The best thing about all this riding was that I was exposed to a level of wildness that I'd never experienced in my entire life. I wasn't a city kid but this kind of pure, untouched land with abundant plants and animals, without any manmade influence around was something foreign to me. The air was so clean and fresh, there were no cars, no people other than the company I traveled with, and the rivers were free of plastic bags and waste. I breathed deep and took it all in, appreciating that this was something I would never have been able to see in my own world.

After my daily Westron lesson, we stopped at the ruins of what looked to be an old house. It was a little early to be setting up camp, but I got down from my pony (with a little wincing) and helped to gather what was needed. Thorin and Gandalf walked over to the ruined building and began to talk. I watched them out of the corner of my eye and couldn't help but smile at how much shorter Thorin was to Gandalf. With his commanding presence and stern face, it was easy to forget just how small he was in stature.

Suddenly, the two seemed to be in an argument. Gandalf said something that Thorin obviously did not like, and their heated exchange abruptly ended when Gandalf stormed off. I stopped what I was doing and looked over to see Bilbo speaking urgently to Gandalf, worry and confusion in his voice. Gandalf merely grumbled and continued on, disappearing into the wilderness. The dwarves muttered anxiously with each other but Thorin seemed resolute, acting as if nothing were wrong. He ordered Bombur to do something and everyone went about their business.

I kept looking off into the direction Gandalf had gone, biting the skin around my nails. He wasn't abandoning us, was he?


	8. The Company Gets Trolled

Bombur worked fast. With the help of a few members of the company he whipped up a dinner of soup, which we all ate with gusto. Well, everyone but Fili and Kili. As the youngest they were sent out to watch the ponies in the forest. I kind of felt bad for them but my worries were assuaged when Bilbo was handed a couple of bowls, which he took and then walked off into the direction of the siblings. Getting up, I decided I'd help the hobbit with his errand. The bowls were filled to the brim and it was getting very dark.

By the time I caught up to him he'd already met up with Fili and Kili, who were standing stock still staring out into the darkness. The trio spoke amongst themselves and pointed out that there were two ponies missing. Looking around, I observed for the first time that there were some trees uprooted and the general area seemed greatly disturbed by some kind of animal or creature. Bilbo noticed this too. Suddenly, Fili cried out in alarm and said something. The three of them hit the deck, ducking behind a fallen tree. Kili grabbed my arm and pulled me down too when I just stood there confused.

There was a lot of whispering and muttering as they looked into the dark forest. Squinting, I could see that they were looking at the faint light of a fire. In the unnatural quiet of the night I could hear talking and laughing in the distance, the voices gruff and strange. Turning to me, Fili tugged on my sleeve to get my attention and pointed back to the camp where the other dwarves were. I didn't understand his words but I got the gist that he wanted me to go back to camp and tell them that someone was here. I nodded and hastily got up. I turned back around briefly and saw Fili and Kili running recklessly towards the firelight, Bilbo not far behind them.

Taking a deep breath, I picked my way back through the dark foliage as fast as I could. The strangers might not be friendly, and I wasn't about to let them get in trouble without some backup. I burst out of the woods and stumbled into camp breathing hard.

"Hey!" I called to get the dwarves to listen. They looked up at me and I tried to convey what was going on. "The- I mean, Fili and Kili and Bilbo went to check something out, there was a campfire and I think it's the people that stole our ponies! They might be in trouble, especially Bilbo!"

I think the slightly panicked tone of my voice and the mentioning of the names got their attention because the company was immediately on the alert. Thorin grabbed me by the shoulders and demanded something of me, saying Fili and Kili's names and sounding very serious. Did I ever think that Thorin was short? When he was this up close and personal and worried for the safety of his company, it felt like he was seven feet tall. His words ended in what sounded like a question, so I tried to think up all of the Westron words I knew to get something across.

_Think, think think! What do I know? _"Fire," I blurted out in Westron, "Fili, Kili, Bilbo," I pointed at my functional eye and then pointed outwards to try and tell him that they had seen something. I repeated "fire" and pointed in the direction of where they'd gone.

Thorin barked out orders and waved his hand for the company to follow him. Turning to me, he pushed me a little in front of him, a look of desperation on his face as if willing me to understand him. _He wants me to lead them to where Fili and Kili went._ Making sure that they were following, I ran to where the ponies were tied up and then showed them the firelight. The noise from the pony thieves were louder than before; this time they were shouting and sounded angry. Wasting no time, the company charged through the bushes and undergrowth to where the sound was coming from. I followed at a much more subdued pace and blundered into a chaotic scene.

Bilbo was frantically sawing at a rope holding the missing ponies in a pen while all around him the dwarves were fighting what seemed to be enormous deformed creatures. The monsters were roaring and swinging around trying to catch the dwarves but the nimble members of the company rolled and jumped away while fighting, their timing and grace so perfect that it almost looked choreographed.

I quickly ran to Bilbo to help him out and almost gagged at the stench coming off of the giant creatures. Holding in my revulsion, I made it to Bilbo and got out a little knife from my pack that Gandalf had bought for me in Bree. Grabbing the other end of the rope, I attacked the same place that Bilbo was working on. The rope was tough and extremely thick but with my extra help it finally snapped free. The ponies galloped out of the enclosure as fast as they could, and in my distracted state I didn't notice one of the monsters grab Bilbo and pick him up like a doll. Turning around, I screamed when another one of the horrifying things picked me up as well.

Two of the brutes had Bilbo by his arms and legs and growled something threateningly to the company. Kili ran forwards as if to take on the three monsters by himself, but someone put out a hand to stop him. Grudgingly, Thorin slammed his sword point down into the ground, his face a picture of complete and utter hate. The rest of the company, seeing this, also put down their weapons and surrendered. The monsters laughed in their victory and my stomach lurched in terror and disbelief. In the clutches of the reeking monster, all I could think of was that this wouldn't have happened if Gandalf had been here.

* * *

A/N: As always, please read and review :D


	9. Gandalf Does Stone Art(And Saves Us All)

Five of the dwarves were tied up on a huge spit over the fire and were being turned around and around. The rest of the company and I were bundled into sacks to be eaten later. Bilbo, who had been quiet until now, suddenly got up and started talking to the monsters.

He spoke at length about something, which got the monsters' attention. The dwarves cried out in anger and indignation a few times, and eventually it seemed that Bilbo's plan had failed.

One of the disgusting creatures came up to me, sniffing me and poking around as if to figure out what I'd taste like. Curious, he lifted up my eye patch and then jerked back in revulsion. Usually I'd be offended but this time I tried to make the injury look as horrific as possible, rolling the milky eye in its socket and scrunching the skin around it to make the scar look even more pronounced. The scar was quite bad; the tree climbing accident had left me with a ragged line where a branch had scratched my eyelid, and the entire iris was partially covered by a cataract.

Another monster, getting tired of waiting, picked up Bombur and held him up to his mouth, ready to take a bite. Bilbo yelled out something and frantically pointed at my eye and then the rest of the dwarves. I guessed that he was saying something about how we were all infected with some kind of disease of blindness or something. The monster made a disgusted face and dropped the poor dwarf, who looked relieved.

Bilbo went on, gesticulating at the dwarves and shaking his head 'no'. The rest of the company didn't seem to understand his plan and started up a ruckus until Thorin kicked one of them. Then they all started yelling again, squirming around. The trio of monsters got angry at this and argued with Bilbo, sounding accusatory. The one closest to me, the one that had taken off my eye patch, picked me up and shook me a bit. My teeth rattled in my skull and I felt dizzy with the blood rushing to my head. I clenched my eyes shut and right when I thought it was all going to be over I heard a loud voice.

Gandalf stood above a large rock, his tall form outlined by the rising sun as he held his staff above his head. With a thunderous crack, he brought the end of his staff down on the rock and split it in two. Morning sunlight streamed through the now open space and the creatures immediately started howling in pain. I was dropped as the now-cringing monster froze in place. The dwarves cheered and hollered as they were rescued, but I remained silent. In shock, I hesitantly put my hand forth and touched the grayish skin only to find it hard and grainy like stone. My breath halted in my throat and I whispered, "Oh my God." They weren't _like_ stone, they had been turned into stone!

I clambered backwards on my hands and feet, completely flabbergasted and my mind whirling at the impossibility of what had just occurred in front of me. What were these monsters, _trolls?_ I began to hyperventilate, just beginning to comprehend the absolute weirdness of the world I'd been transported into. This was more than strange, this was straight up _fantasy, _like Dungeons and Dragons kind of stuff_._ Gandalf came down from his high place and walked towards the dwarves. With a pleased look, he thumped one of the troll statues with his staff and then went to free the dwarves. Gandalf and Thorin talked for a bit before he came down to talk to me.

Reaching down, the kindly old wizard picked up my discarded eye patch and handed it to me. Taking it thankfully, I tied it back on and secured it over the ugly part of my face. I was still a bit in shock, which Gandalf seemed to detect. He touched my forehead and asked, "_What is wrong, Avery?_"

I shook my head, "_Everything's just so... wrong here._" I sighed and got up from the ground, dusting myself off. Gandalf didn't say anything else, but put a comforting hand on my shoulder before walking off. I think he got that I wanted to be left alone for the moment.

After talking some more with Thorin, the company went to find the ponies that had run off and the supplies that we'd left at the camp. Gandalf explained something to the dwarves and we all set off searching for something. With a lot of rudimentary body language, Nori made it clear to me that we were looking for the cave from which the trolls had come from. I nodded in understanding; it made sense, considering the monsters turned to stone at the first light of dawn. They'd have to have been hiding somewhere dark for the duration of the daytime hours.

It didn't take us long to find the cave, but I was filled with trepidation upon entering it. There were bones and miscellaneous items scattered about the entire cavern, as well as an overpowering stench that I identified to be from the trolls. The dwarves coughed and made faces at the eye-wateringly terrifying smell too, but they were more preoccupied with the sheer amount of precious items filling the cave. Meanwhile, Fili helpfully taught me a few more words, including the words for cave, bone, gold, and treasure.

A few of the dwarves, catching sight of a chest, began to fill it with gold and treasure. I looked away; something about taking the trolls' treasure didn't sit well with me. Most of the things here were probably taken by force from their original owners, who were most likely eaten afterwards. The thought of all this treasure signifying the deaths of hundreds of people made me shiver.

Gandalf and Thorin had none of my qualms, however. They picked up two very beautiful but dusty swords from one corner of the cave. Slightly unsheathing it, Gandalf said something that got Thorin rankled. He was about to put it back when Gandalf spoke sharply to Thorin, who stopped and reluctantly kept it in his hands.

Turning around, I saw that Gloin and a few others were burying the chest full of precious things in the ground. Dwalin looked disapproving, but they didn't seem to really care. I shook my head, who knew these guys were such suckers for money? _Then again, their weapons and armor probably don't pay for themselves_, I thought.

Thorin, gripping his new sword, called for us to leave the cave, which we gladly did. Waving off the lingering stink, I exited the cave and took deep breaths of fresh air. I was about to say something to Bilbo when I saw Gandalf come up to him with what was either a small sword or a long dagger. He presented it to Bilbo, who obviously would rather not have received it. I smiled a bit at the sight of the diminutive hobbit holding the dagger as if it would jump up and bite him. Turning back, I jogged a bit to catch up with the dwarves, who were heading back into the trees.

Thorin yelled again, but this time his voice was more urgent. Gandalf said something as well, and the company was on red alert, weapons out as they prepared for something. I reached into my pack and took out the little knife I carried, saying a little prayer under my breath and hoping that I wouldn't have to use it.

* * *

A/N: Sorry if this chapter seems rushed, but I wanted to get to the more interesting parts. R&R please :D


	10. Wabbit Hunting Season

The person that came through the woods was not what I had been expecting. In fact, I don't think any one of us had been expecting him. A tall elderly man all dressed in brown burst through the forest at top speed on a sled drawn by... Were those rabbits? I blinked and rubbed my eye, then looked at the company to make sure I wasn't seeing things. They looked just as weirder out as I was. Gandalf was the only one that was completely unfazed, and he walked over to the brown man, who stopped right in front of us and began urgently blabbering about something.

Gandalf greeted him with a word that I guessed to be the man's name: Rabagassed? Radagassed? I shrugged, I'd figure it out later. Figuring that everything was ok if Gandalf knew this guy, I put my blade away.

The two old men had a bit of a conversation, the brown one much more panicked than the other. He was about to speak, when he stopped and frowned. He opened his mouth, then shut it again, befuddled. Gandalf reached over and pulled, of all things, a stick insect out of the brown man's mouth, and that really freaked everyone out. I recoiled, not only at the bug but at what I could only guess to be bird poop that was splattered all over the old man's head.

Gross.

The brown fellow and Gandalf went a little ways away from the rest of us to chat, and I took the opportunity to sit down and rest. What with the trolls trying to eat us and searching for the cave in the wee hours of the morning, I was seriously tired. I watched the two old men talk for a while, until Gandalf took his pipe and gave it to the other man, who was wound up like a spring. I chuckled at the stoned face he made after taking a drag, and couldn't help but wonder if he'd get the munchies any time soon.

A package of some sort was traded between the two, after which I lost interest, but the light mood was disturbed by a gut wrenching howl. Bilbo's head shot up and he said something, but because I couldn't understand I was mostly focused on keeping a sharp eye out for wolves.

Suddenly, a gigantic wolf thing jumped out of nowhere and barreled into one of the dwarves. I shrieked and took out my knife again, but Thorin managed to slay the beast with a powerful strike of his new sword. Another wolf jumped in from the side, snarling as it bounded in, but a well-placed arrow from Kili had it thudding to the ground. Unfortunately, it was not dead and got back up only to be finally put to death by Dwalin.

My hands shook. I wasn't used to this kind of thing- slavering giant animals from all sides and attacking without any warning. I tightened my grip on the knife until my knuckles whitened and grit my teeth. I was still shaking but I promised myself that I wouldn't go down without a fight.

A general hubbub started up, with Thorin and Gandalf speaking urgently with others getting their two cents in. Radagassed (or was it Rabagassed?) got back on his sled and shot back out of the forest with a defiant gleam in his eye. I mentally applauded him. _Good for you, mister, good for you. Even if you have bird doo on your face and are probably high as a kite right now, you're a better (and braver) person than I'll ever be._

As the brown man distracted the wolves, the company followed Gandalf onto the barren plains outside of the forest. Ducking and hiding behind rocks, we sprinted from one area to another while trying to keep away from the wolves. Looking closer, I saw that there seemed to be people riding the wolves. I rolled my eyes and just took it as it was. There was nothing that would surprise me now after seeing monsters turn to stone and a living bug pop out of a guy's mouth. Nothing.

We temporarily halted behind a large rock that loomed over us. Plastering myself onto the rough surface, I took a breather and listened for the snarling of the wolves. I held in a whimper as I heard a lone scout wolf climb up the opposite side of the rock. It snuffled and growled as it came nearer, and I saw Thorin discreetly nod at Kili to be prepared; in response, Kili expertly drew an arrow and got himself ready. Taking a deep breath, he stepped back and shot the wolf, making it fall down and hit the ground near my feet. I jumped away immediately as the dwarves set upon the wolf and its rider, killing them in seconds.

I retched at the horrific sight of the monstrous rider. He (it?) was gray-skinned, with a wide mouth brimming with sharp teeth and pointed ears. His lips were black and drawn back in a permanent sneer. I dry-heaved at the smell coming off of him and the wolf, and at the sludge-like black blood that had spattered everywhere.

Baying and hunting howls filled the air as a gravelly voice roared out a command. Gandalf yelled for us to high tail it, and we took off into the open ground. As I ran for my life, I could see flashes of dark pursuers out of the peripheral vision of my good eye. Even running at a full sprint, we were no match for the wolves and were being surrounded. We ended up cornered near another outcropping, and I gasped for air while backing away.

Kili fired a few arrows at them, but there were too many. He yelled for Gandalf, but as I looked around I realized with a cold horror that the old man had disappeared altogether. Thorin pulled out his sword, ready to defend himself, when from under the rock Gandalf stuck his head out from a hole in the ground and called for us.

Not wasting any time, Bilbo went first, dropping down and hitting the ground inside with a heavy "oof". Balin pushed me in front of him, practically shoving me down the hole after Bilbo. I barely managed to stop myself from hitting Bilbo and rolled to the side to get out of the way. The dwarves all poured through the crack in the ground one after another until Kili and Thorin, who came in last. I heaved a sigh of relief, but was cut short as a horn sounded from above us.

I looked up with trepidation, hoping that it wasn't reinforcements. To my surprise, a group of horsemen with spears and bows were fighting the wolves and the goblin-looking things. One of the goblin things was shot by an arrow right by our hole and fell down. The dead body almost smacked me in the face, but luckily Oin pulled me back right before that could happen. Thorin reached over and grabbed the arrow, inspecting it before saying one word venomously.

Dwalin turned to the open end of the tunnel we were in, which lead outwards in a jagged, extremely narrow pathway. We reached a consensus to go forwards, which I was very, very against. Yes, I knew that this was the only way out, but not only was I mildly claustrophobic, this was not a good exercise for someone with no depth perception to be undertaking. I had no way of judging exactly where a jutting rock was, or when to turn my body so that I didn't run into a wall. Of course I had experience with estimating things, but I hadn't had a challenge like this in my daily life before this whole fiasco.

Sensing my hesitance, the dwarf behind me (I think it was Bofur?) gently poked and pushed me in the right direction, calling out when I was about to hit my head or something like that. I found it a lot easier than I thought it would be because I had Dwalin in front of me as a good reference point but I was eternally grateful to Bofur for helping me out.

Eventually, the pathway widened out and we exited the narrow passage. I sighed and stretched after that ordeal, and my jaw dropped at the sight before me. _Holy... What is this place?_

* * *

A/N: As usual, R&R please!


	11. Strangers in a Strange Land

I seriously take back what I said before. This place did much more than just surprise me, it blew every amazing I'd seen before out of the water. There, down in a valley was a village-town-thing surrounded by towering pale mountains covered by moss and trees. A beautiful silvery river flowed through the entire thing, running off of the various crags and hollows and creating majestic waterfalls. I just stood there in awe taking it all in, trying to see every detail and memorize the breathtaking sight.

_If there's a Heaven, it must look like this, _I thought to myself as Thorin argued with Gandalf (again). Jeez, would those guys get it together already? It was kind of ruining the whole mood for me. Gandalf appeared to be unfazed by Thorin's anger and instead walked off towards the town with a smug expression on his face. I shrugged and followed him, the rest of the company doing so as well with a much more uneasy feeling.

Bilbo walked next to me, his eyes wide and full of wonder, just like I was. Nudging him, I pointed at the town and said, "What is this place?"

He understood that I was asking a question and replied, "Rivendell."

I nodded and thanked him. Rivendell, huh? That's a cute name. Not as magnificent and grand as I thought it'd be, but it was pleasant enough. Looking over my shoulder at the dwarves and especially Thorin, I noticed that they didn't seem to be as excited about the place at all. On the whole their expressions were grim and almost hostile, not relaxed like Gandalf or amazed like Bilbo and I. Rubbing my imaginary beard, I wondered why.

I nudged Bilbo again, hoping that I wasn't annoying him too much. He turned to me with a smile though, so I asked, "What's up with them?" I jerked my thumb in the dwarves' direction, pulling a grumpy face and then putting my hands up in an "I don't know" pose.

Bilbo stared at me for a few seconds, and then made an "oh" sound. He bit his lip thinking and then shrugged at me. Either he didn't know why they were so crotchety or he had no idea how to convey it to me. I nodded anyways and kept walking, watching my steps as we descended into the valley. We finally stopped at a little round area surrounded by pillars. I spun around 360 degrees to get the full feeling of the place and grinned like an idiot. Something about this valley made me feel happy and carefree, it was as if the very air was sweeter and I was seeing everything through rose-tinted glasses.

I sidled up behind Gandalf and next to Bilbo again as a tall, slender figure descended the stairs at the top of the circle. As the person got nearer, he greeted Gandalf in a strange, musical language that I (of course) didn't understand. When he was near enough for me to see his face, I think I stopped breathing.

He was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen in my entire life. I'm not even saying that to be dramatic or sappy or whatever, this was legit the prettiest man I'd ever seen. It was actually almost a little creepy just how ethereal and otherworldly he was. He had no scars, no pimples, no blemishes, hell I don't think he even had _pores. _It was like someone had airbrushed him in Photoshop, but instead of a picture it was an actual living breathing person. The jury was still out on whether he was human or not; I mean, he had pointy ears and no human being I knew of looked like that.

Gandalf went over and had a little talk with him and it looked to me like they were old pals. Meanwhile, Thorin looked as if he'd eaten a skunk and Dwalin, who was next to him, wasn't happy either. The tense air only got more uneasy when a horn was sounded from behind us. The dwarves immediately bunched up into a tight circle, with Bilbo and me in the middle. Being a good five or six inches taller than the dwarves, I could see over their heads quite easily.

A company of horsemen was cantering down the pathway all dressed in shiny metal armor and carrying various weapons. One white horse in particular made me flash back to the horsemen I'd seen when we were under the rock in the hidden passageway. These were the same guys!

The heavily armed cavalrymen circled around our little group, disorienting me and making me on edge. Gandalf didn't seem ruffled at all so I tried to keep my cool, but the dwarves were on the ready, their weapons out and body language apprehensive. The leader of the horsemen rode forwards and dropped down from his horse. Gandalf came up to him and bowed. I was surprised at this, was this man royalty or something? After the formal greetings, Gandalf and the leader had a nice chat as well.

_Gandalf's a little social butterfly, isn't he? He knows everyone here._ I sniggered at the random thought of Gandalf gossiping like a high-schooler but kept it quiet, I didn't want to insult anyone after all. The leader of the horsemen held himself with great elegance and authority. He gave off the same aura that the other pointy-eared fellow did, and I couldn't help but notice that even after coming back from a fight not one hair was out of place. He looked as if he'd just gone for a nice stroll in the park instead of a violent monster-killing spree. _Figures. _I didn't stare at him for long, though. Looking at these peoples' faces was like staring into the sun- it was almost too much for my human brain to handle, like an overload of ethereal eeriness.

After Gandalf and the leader had their conversation, Thorin stepped up and introduced himself. The leader man spoke in his musical language, and the dwarves were suddenly up in arms. Gloin seemed especially rancorous, but Gandalf calmed them all down with a few words. The whole exchange having gone over my head, I settled for following the rest of the company who were being led inside by a few of the pointy-ears.

As I went to go with them, I heard Gandalf call me back. I obediently went to him where he was standing with the leader. He did his mind-speak trick again and said, "_This is Elrond, the lord of Rivendell. He is the one that I said may be able to help you._"

_"Wait a minute! This is Elrond?"_ I was shocked, "_You mean he's an elf? An actual, honest-to-God elf!? Are all these other people elves too?_"

Gandalf looked amused and nodded. He relayed my thoughts to Elrond, who laughed. He spoke, and Gandalf translated for me. "_Lord Elrond says that he has never heard of a human appearing in Arda in such a way as you have before. These... wormholes you told me about are unknown to him as well._"

My heart sank at this. What would I do now? I asked Gandalf if that meant I'd be staying here for the rest of my time in this world. _"That is not my decision young Avery. What you do is your choice, no one will attempt to force you into anything you do not wish."_

I nodded, but bit my lip. _Great, another tough decision for me to make. Do I want to stay here or do I go? _I pondered this as a kind lady elf led me to where the company was. I had made it to the elven realm, but I felt more lost than ever.

* * *

A/N: Just so everyone knows, there won't be an Avery/Elf romance in this fic. I just don't think it'd really work out, and I want to keep this realistic. Avery's just a regular girl from Earth, I don't think she'd be able to get over the not-humanness of the elves not to mention I seriously doubt any elf would be romantically interested in a strange human girl like her that doesn't even speak the language.

Also, I will not be updating next week because I'm going on a trip. I'll be back by the beginning of August though, so expect a double update then! As always, please read and review :D


End file.
